The Ndola City Council working with Zambia Police have arrested seven unscrupulous land dealers in Ndola’s Dola Hill area who were found illegally allocating plots.
The Local Authority accompanied by State Police found the seven on sight, arrested them and were charged with criminal trespass, threatening violence as well as conduct likely to breach peace as they had earlier threatening legal land owners of the said plots.
NCC Public Relations Manager Tilyenji Mwanza said the Local Authority has send a strong strong warning to the would be perpetrators of the vice that the Local Authority remains equal to the task and will not tolerate any unscrupulous dealings on land irrespective of any political affiliation.
Ms Mwanza said the Council will see to it that the seven are prosecuted and the law followed to the latter in order to deter would be offenders.
She said the Local Authority has noted that the land that was being tempered with was legally planned and allocated to applicants who went through applications, interviews and paid for their site and thus should not be inconvenienced.
Ndola Town Clerk Wisdom Bwalya has advised members of the Public not to purchase land from any persons other than the council who is the planning authority or the ministry of lands.
Mr Bwalya has also advised fully paid up legal owners to quickly collect there recommendation letters for onward submission to The Ministry of Lands for settlement of payments for the Invitation to Treat and processing of Title Deeds.
“Legal land owners are further advised to get in touch with the Department of City Planning to be shown there plots on sight and ensure they are secured by developing them within the stipulated time frame,” he said.